Fireworks drama is also called fireworks in Wengyuan, and it can be traced back to the Tongzhi period of the Qing Dynasty.
Text/Photo Yangcheng School reporter Zhang Wen Correspondent He Xiaohong Huang Yingxiang
The last fireworks drama was ten years since the last performance (data picture, provided by Wengyuan County Cultural Center)
Wengyuan Fireworks drama is a kind of Weng originated from Weng in northern Guangdong.Cinema 1950 witch clothes drawFolk skills of Zhoupi Town, Yuan County were selected into the second batch of intangible cultural heritage in Shaoguan City in 2008. Because earth gunpowder is controlled and the inheritor is difficult to find, this once glorious performance skill is on the verge of losing, and the last performance was ten years ago. With the 70-year-old representative inheritor of Weng Yuan’s fireworks drama, He Xiuchu, diagnosed with esophageal cancer two years ago, the pace of loss of Weng Yuan’s fireworks drama has further accelerated. The reporter recently learned from Wengyuan County that the local government is stepping up the “rescue protection” of fireworks opera skills. This Mid-Autumn Festival, the fireworks drama that has been passed down for a hundred years is expected to shine again after ten years of “extinguishing”.
Origin: A creation from “colored head” to art
Fireworks drama is also called burning fireworks in Wengyuan. It can be traced back to the Tongzhi period of the Qing Dynasty. The founder He Zhenren learned to make fireworks since childhood, and later made a living by making and selling fireworks. In order to improve sales, He Zhenren invented the “Komiks 1960 witch cloth draw”, which means that a disk can be continuously rotated by burning gunpowder, expressing the meaning of exorcising ghosts and eliminating disasters and praying for good fortune and health. This is the predecessor of Weng Yuan’s fireworks drama.
The reporter recently set off from Wengyuan County and arrived in Xixia Village after more than an hour’s drive, and found the representative inheritor of Wengyuan’s fireworks opera, He Xiuchu. Talking about the origin of the fireworks drama, he said that although He Zhenren’s version of “burning fireworks” only lasted for more than 2 minutes, it was “good” because it was “good””The first one is still popular with everyone. Every year on Lantern Festival and February 2nd Festival, every local household will set off fireworks. The most attractive one is the “fireworks” invented by He Zhenren.
He Xiuchu is 70 years old this year. He said that he has learned to do fireworks with his stepfather He Zhan’ao since he was a teenager, and it has a history of 52 years. He Xiuchu told reporters that He Zhan’ao, who is skillful and capable of painting, is also an important figure in the development of fireworks opera. Through a series of improvements, he has made the cigarettes. The fire show is more valuable and attracts more people to watch. He Xiuchu said that in addition to improving skills, He Zhan’ao also increased the firework show from five or six to more than ten, and the performance time also extended from ten minutes to about one hour.
Before the firework show, a wooden frame several meters high will be set up in the center of the venue, and three or four people will work together to hang the big play tube with a diameter of more than one meter on the rack. When the performance starts, the main fuse will be ignited, and layers of programs will be shaken off from the big play tube, and each program will be Cinema 1950 witch cloth draw is fixed by a bamboo fire-inserting tray, with thin ropes and fuses connected between the trays. Starting from the bottom layer, the fuses continue to burn, and the trays descend in turn, and each program will be wonderfully presented in the fireworks.
”The entire performance has no pauses, and each layer of program lasts for more than two minutes, and the whole process lasts about an hour. “He Xiuchu said that his stepfather He Zhan’ao made the level of fireworks opera, a folk craft, continuously improve, forming a firework art that integrates fireworks and dramatic characters. “He created the famous programs in fireworks opera, Guan Gong riding horses, Jiang Taigong fishing, and Beng Gu’s birthday. ”
Inheritance The difficult continuation of an intangible cultural heritage craft
Like many other folk skills, the current status of the inheritance of fireworks dramas is not optimistic.
”As long as a young man is willing to learn, I will not charge a penny of tuition, and I will teach him everything I know. “When talking about the inheritance of fireworks dramas, He Xiuchu was very helpless. He said that the most regrettable thing at the moment is that there are few successors. “Now young people choose to go out to work, and few are willing to learn fireworks dramas. ”
After 52 years of being a fireworks show, He Xiuchu has always had a feeling of being unable to let go of this skill, especially when he was diagnosed with an esophagus two years ago.mov.com/”>Cinema 1950 witch cloth draw cancer made He Xiuchu desperately want to accept an apprentice. “No matter whether you can make money or not, the things that our ancestors have passed on for hundreds of years must not be lost in my hands! ”
He Xiuchu and others polish new props, and they are powerfulKomiks 1960 witch clothes DrawSeeking for the success of the performance
He Xiuchu said that the production process of fireworks dramas is complicated and the technical requirements are high, which is also an important reason for the difficulty of circulation. To make the performance complete and smooth, you must accurately budget the rhythm of the fireworks and the puppet story, which must match the time. “I learned production skills from my stepfather at the age of 18, and only after six years can I independently complete the production of the fireworks drama. ”
Recalling the grand performance of that year, He Xiuchu said that no matter whether it was the Lantern Festival Komiks 1960 witch cloth draw, or folk weddings, children, birthdays, Weng Yuan local and surrounding Xinfeng, Yingde and other places, he would always invite him to perform fireworks to show great gifts, “Everyone is happy, the onlookers feasted their eyes, the boss felt that he had face, and we also enjoyed it. ”
Babaylan 1990 cloth drawHe Xiuchu said that one reason for the gradual fading of fireworks drama is the state’s control over gunpowder. Earth gunpowder is an essential raw material for the production of fireworks dramas, but due to their control, it is difficult to obtain now. Even if the earth gunpowder is successfully obtained, the production of fireworks dramas itself may face legal risks. Some intangible cultural heritage inheritors were punished for using gunpowder to make fireworks.
Cinema 1950 witch cloth draw Protection A new possibility is being tried
The local cultural department has always maintained attention to the inheritance and protection of Wengyuan fireworks dramas. In May 2008, the Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center of Wengyuan County Cultural Center and He Xiuchulian were deeply explored and sorted out this almost lost folk art. The fireworks opera was also successfully selected into the second batch of intangible cultural heritage catalog in Shaoguan that year. He Xiuchu said that this performance was also the last time that the fireworks show was presented to the public eye, more than ten years ago.
He Xiuchu is telling the staff of Wengyuan County Cultural Center about the grand occasion of the fireworks performance that year
After learning about the current status of the fireworks inheritance and the body of the representative inheritor He XiuchuCinema 1950 witch cloth draw, Wengyuan County Cultural Center Intangible Cultural Center and Zhoupi Town Government decided to implement the “rescue protection plan”, href=”https://comicmov.com/”>Babaylan 1990 cloth draw and allocated tens of thousands of yuan to work. Komiks 1960 witch cloth draw protected the skills of fireworks. According to the plan, fireworks will be restored to the world during the Mid-Autumn Festival this year.
At the beginning of this year, He Xiuchu decided to teach the production skills of fireworks to He Chengying, the webmaster of Zhoupi Town Cultural Station. He personally demonstrated and worked hard with He Chengying. He spent several months finally producing the installations and props of fireworks. “Although Komiks 1960 witch cloth draw cannot guarantee that the fireworks drama will be successful in one go, but ‘nothing is difficult in the world,’I’m afraid of those who are interested’, we have confidence! ”
He Xiuchu said that in the performance ten years ago, the earth gunpowder was preserved by others in the neighboring county, and it took a lot of effort to find it. It is undoubtedly more difficult to find earth gunpowder now. In order to solve the problem of gunpowder leads, they comply with the national explosives management laws and regulations, and after many twists and turns, they bought gunpowder from professional companies. Now the “new gunpowder” needs to be used accurately in the performance. They also need to slowly work with He Chengying.
In order to welcome the fireworks performance that is about to appear in front of the world again, He XiuKomiks 1960 witch cloth draw is currently overcoming the pain and stepping up the use of parts with He Chengying and pondering new techniques for using gunpowder. He Xiuchu hopes that the fireworks drama will be more perfect, outstanding and more enjoyable. For this reason, he continues to innovate and work hard on props. With the assistance of Chang Xu Quanwu of Wengyuan County Cultural Center, he tries to add colorful clay, plastic, foam asbestos and other new materials to the production of puppet props to find puppet props. Draw is more vivid and re-emerged onto the long-lost danceBabaylan 1990 cloth draw.
Source｜Yangcheng School
Picture｜Zhang Wen
Editor｜Wu Tong